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Greentree Elementary “Principally” Speaking
Volume 3-19

 A California Distinguished School

 November 2007

Dear Parents,

While the Winter Holiday is almost upon us, I joyfully continue seeing excellent lessons happening throughout the school. It is remarkable to see such inspired teaching and learning experiences for our students. We know focused, intentional teaching is so important for all students.

We recently held our Pride Assembly. It was wonderful to honor so many children for the value of respect. We also had recognitions for students who entered our PTA Reflections contest as well the students who participated in ACE after school flag football.

The Greentree Staff and I wish you and your family the most wonderful of holidays. We hope the season brings you the joy, peace and love of family and friends.

We’re looking forward to a wonderful 2008.

Warmly,

Dianne Ball, Principal


DIVERSITY AT GREENTREE

Hola, Salam, Ni Hao, Hello! Many students at Greentree have the ability to greet you with one of these phrases. Greentree has 167 students who speak or hear a language other than English at home. Arabic, French, Korean, Tagala, Chinese, Spanish, Urdu and Japanese are just some of the 23 different languages spoken by Greentree students. While some of these students have mastered English, others are still learning. Teachers at Greentree have all been trained to help students who speak another language learn English. We have many programs in place to help English learners succeed. We are very fortunate to have such a diverse student population at our school as it enables students to share about their own cultures while they learn about the American culture.

LOST AND FOUND:

There is quite an accumulation of “LOST” items, both large and small since the beginning of school. If you think your child has lost a jacket, sweater, lunchbox, etc, please come by the school and check the “Lost and Found” area to reclaim. Small items are kept in the front office.

UPCOMING EVENTS

December 14 – Report Cards go home
 December 21 – MODIFIED DAY Schedule
 December 24 – Winter Break Begins – HAPPY HOLIDAYS
 January 07 – School Resumes
 January 21– NO SCHOOL, Martin Luther King Day Observance
Home and Hospital Teaching Due to Illness or Injury
Occasionally, students fall victim to a serious illness or sustain a serious injury during the school year. When this occurs and it is anticipated that the affliction will keep the student out of school for a period of three-weeks or longer, the parent or guardian should contact the school and inquire about In-Home and Hospital (H&H) Teaching Services. The H&H Teaching Services Office is located on the Creekside Education Center campus at 3387 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, CA 92606.

PROJECT “RESPECT”

This Fall, the GATE students have been working hard on the school “Respect” project. It will be published soon and displayed in every classroom, and possibly even memorized by every student. It was written word for word by our GATE students.

The second part of this project includes a photography assignment. From Monday 12/10 through Friday 12/21, two GATE students will be walking around the school with the new digital camera (purchased with GATE grant money) to take candid photos of Greentree students and staff who are actively demonstrating the value of respect. The final project will be displayed on a GATE bulletin board later in the year.

PRIDE AWARD WINNERS:

Congratulations to the following Greentree Pride Award Winners who were recognized at our recent Pride Assembly: Raymond Tu, Dina Kianiazar, William Jawhary, Yash Menon, Sisily Cook, Sean Hernandez, Sofia Osmani, Mateo Hwang, Elliot Cho, Jesse Fain, Christopher Bivian, Dawn Benner, Ramillah Wasi, Gloria Seo, Arash Goshtasbi, Andre Leung, Nicholas Nguyen, Hannah Dadah, Natalie Majdalani, Jason Giang, Katelyn Toombs, David Chun, Justin Blyar, Allison Fritz, Heran Patel, Jenna Goldberg, Aaron, Mella, Nicholas Lind-Jensen, Teresa, Kim, Trevor Salerno, Esther Shin, Jonathan Tran, Tianna Nunn, Bronwyn Jarvis, Skyler Wurzel, Brent Miller, Jake Clanton, Hannah Batasee, Eric Chung, Trina Hoang, Julian Palabrica, Lorena Mayorga, Terry Kim, McKailee Pomerleau-Karling, Camille Ross, Karina Orozco, Justin Tran, Ben Tran, Aaron Adame, Juliana Doan-Le, Andrew Mendoza. We are also pleased to name the All Star Winners whose names were drawn from the All Star Basket: Karina Lanning, Timothy Pham, Laith Hart, Jenny Fisher, Tianna Nunn, Hannah Dadah, Michael Menjivar, Andre Leung, Amanda Kresge.

RAINBOW RISING

Rainbow Rising is a non-profit child care that offers nurturing and safe on-campus, before and after school care for Greentree students. In addition to homework assistance, they offer a wide variety of language, art, science, music, indoor and outdoor activities. Rainbow Rising provides a fun and nurturing environment that encourages self-confidence and positive social behavior. For more information go to their website at rainbowrising.org or call 949-552-5628.